The State Anthem of the Ukrainian SSR was the Soviet republican anthem of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, one of the republics of the Soviet Union.
It has been banned in Ukraine since 2015 due to decommunization laws.
The same melody was used for the anthem of Novorossiya, a self-proclaimed unrecognized confederation in southeastern Ukraine, entitled "Live, New Russia!" (Russian: Живи, Новороссия!"). The song is sung in both Russian and Ukrainian, with the first and third stanzas sung in Russian and the second stanza in Ukrainian.
Background
The Ukrainian People's Republic had instituted "Shche ne vmerla Ukrainy i slava, i volia" as its anthem in 1917. It was banned when the Russian and Ukrainian Bolsheviks took control of Ukraine in 1920 and created the USSR in 1922. But they did not see any need for a Ukrainian anthem until the 1940s.
The idea of creating the anthem arose in context with introduction of the Ukrainian SSR to the United Nations organization, the creation of which was discussed at the 1943 Teheran Conference. In order to receive extra votes in the United Nations, Stalin came up with the idea to add two union republics – Ukraine and Belarus – which had to be portrayed as fully sovereign republics. The Ukrainian poets who participated in contest were given quite responsible and "delicate" task to create such "main song of Ukraine" that in all and completely would "fit" into the politically ideological context of the All-Union anthem ("State Anthem of the Soviet Union") and at the same time reflect the Ukrainian national characteristics. Previously, the Soviet anthems were already revived in the Russian Federation and Belarus.
Since 2015, performance of this song is prohibited in Ukraine and offenders may be subject to up to five years of imprisonment for "Propaganda of the Soviet totalitarian symbols". It is used, like other pieces of nostalgia to the Soviet Union, by collaborators in Russian-held areas in southeastern parts of the country.
Lyrics
Original version (1949–1978)
{| class="wikitable"
!Ukrainian original
!Ukrainian Latin alphabet
!IPA transcription
!English translation
|- style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center; white-space:nowrap;"
|<poem></poem>
|<poem></poem>
|<poem></poem>
|<poem>I
Live, Ukraine, beautiful and strong,
You found happiness in the Soviet Union.
Equal amid the equal, free amid the free,
Under the sun of freedom, you bloomed like a flower.
Glory to the Soviet Union, glory!
Glory to the Fatherland of brotherly nations!
Live, Ukraine, a Soviet nation,
As a reunited country forever and ever!
II
Always in a battle for the fate of the people,
The Russian people were our brothers and friends.
And Lenin illuminated our path to freedom,
And Stalin leadeth us to bright heights.
III
Our foes’ forays we shall expunge
With the sacred sword of our people's rage!
Under the Soviet flag potent, we’ve become,
And loyal we go in the world of Communism!
</poem>
|}
1978–1991 version
{| class="wikitable"
!Ukrainian original
!Ukrainian Latin alphabet
!IPA transcription
!English translation
|- style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center; white-space:nowrap;"
|<poem></poem>
|<poem></poem>
|<poem></poem>
|<poem>I
Live, Ukraine, beautiful and strong,
You found happiness in the Soviet Union.
Equal amid the equal, free amid the free,
Under the sun of freedom, you bloomed like a flower.
Glory to the Soviet Union, glory!
Glory to the Fatherland forever and ever
Live, Ukraine, a Soviet nation,
In a united family of brotherly nations!
II
Always in a battle for the fate of the people,
The Russian people were our brothers and friends.
Lenin led us on a victorious campaign
Under the flag of October to brilliant heights.
III
We glorify the mighty Fatherland through labor,
Affirming the truth of our immortal idea.
In the world of communism there is a great future,
The Party of Lenin leads us wisely!
</poem>
|}
2010 proposal
Ukrainian version
The following are the lyrics by Igor Ortsev chosen in the competition held by the Luhansk wing of the Communist Party of Ukraine in 2010.
{| class="wikitable"
!Ukrainian original
{| class="wikitable"
!Russian original
!Russian Latin alphabet
!English translation
|- style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center; white-space:nowrap;"
|<poem></poem>
|<poem></poem>
|<poem>I
Live Ukraine, beautiful and strong,
Forever and ever you are given to us by God.
From the people's will you became united,
Under the sun of freedom, you bloomed as a flower.
Glory to the great people, glory!
A hardworking and strong family,
Live, Ukraine, our native country
In a world of love in a peaceful land!
II
We walked for a long time on the path of history
To a bright dream, the happiness of a peaceful people!
May our hearts be overflown with delight
By the victory of holy and immortal ideas!
III
We glorify our dear homeland with labour,
For honour and freedom, we will devote our lives to her!
May the path be shown to us, by the star of humanism
And the ancestral covenants, that we keep in our hearts!
</poem>
|}
See also
- Emblem of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
- Flag of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
Notes
References
External links
- Ukase of the Presidium No. 3178-IX. About the State Anthem of the Ukrainian SSR (Про Державний гімн Української РСР). Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR. 22 March 1978.
- Ukase of the Presidium No. 2042-XII. About the State Anthem of Ukraine (Про Державний гімн України). Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. 15 January 1992.
- Why Soviet Ukraine was only a façade of the Soviet Russian occupation of Ukraine (Чому радянська Україна була лише фасадом російсько-радянської окупації України). The Ukrainian Week. 13 December 2012.
- Instrumental recording in MP3 format (Full version)
- Instrumental recording in MP3 format (Short version)
- MIDI-like mp3 file
- Vocal recording in MP3 format
- Lyrics , nationalanthems.info
- (1949 version)